“These grants will help Kentucky 911 call centers in a number of ways — from replacing outdated and obsolete equipment to moving toward digital Next Generation 911 capabilities — all with the ultimate goal of providing prompt and accurate emergency response in Kentucky,” Holiday explained in a state news release.

For the 2017 grant cycle, there were 59 applications from 53 Kentucky counties representing $6.3 million in requests. In evaluating the grants, KOHS followed the same protocol used when evaluating federally-funded U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grants. After the KOHS grants team ensured all documentation was properly submitted, a team of Kentucky 911 subject matter experts from call centers across the commonwealth analyzed and scored each grant.

Following the comprehensive peer review process, a second team of subject matter experts performed a technical review to ensure each grant request met proper technical specifications. The highest scoring projects were then submitted to the full 911 Services Board, which unanimously approved the grant awards at their June 22 meeting.

“This objective evaluation process removes politics from the process and ensures that grants are ranked on critical need to the best of our ability,” Holiday said in the release.

The $3.6 million of funding for the 2017 911 competitive grant cycle represents a 50 percent increase over 2015, where $2.4 million was awarded. No grants were issued in 2016.

A complete list of grant recipients can be viewed on the Kentucky 911 Services Board web page at: http://911board.ky.gov.